Composite fabric products are of great utility for those applications that require on one hand the softness and texture of a textile fabric product and on the other hand have stiffness, form, rigidity and other properties of a composite material, like relatively high load bearing capacity and toughness. However, prior art composite fabrics suffer from many different severe drawbacks, for instance, due to the lack of bonding strength between the textile and the hard surface. In many cases there is a need for special surface preparation and the use of a bonding agent. The term “composite fabric product”, as used herein and as more fully discussed hereinafter, relates to products comprising a combination of non-melting textile material (which can be thermoplastic) and of melted plastic material, typically thermoplastic material.
For example, EP 0893244 discloses a carpet comprising a primary backing fabric into which face yarn is tufted, and a modified secondary backing fabric attached to the primary backing fabric. The modified secondary backing fabric comprises a secondary backing scrim fabric and a fiber batt integrated as a unitary scrim, which is rigid and has a soft face opposite the face presented by the scrim fabric. The modified fabric is subjected to heat sufficient to remove all loose fibers projecting from the soft face.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,616 discloses a recyclable vehicle interior component having a substantially rigid core and formed by molding the following three layers of different materials from one polymer family into a shaped component: a polyester (PET) fabric, a layer of bi-component polyester padding that is an intermixed blend of low temperature melting point fibers for bonding and higher temperature melting point fibers for imparting resiliency and a soft feel, and a core layer of polyester/glass fiber for rigidity and self support. Although such a component has a relatively high compressive strength, it has a relatively weak tensile strength when pulled, often resulting in the delaminating of the core layer from one of the other layers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite fabric product that overcomes the drawbacks of prior art products and which presents improved structural characteristics.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cost-effective process for producing a composite fabric product.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.